


Fairy Tales Start Somewhere

by impish_nature



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, baby stans, children have no filters, keeps the magic alive, little white lies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 02:31:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8559922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impish_nature/pseuds/impish_nature
Summary: Stan tries to help out with the psychic hotline.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Last one (5/5)! Your friendly neighbourhood imp will now get back to commissions and Ib Falls. Keep on smiling guys ♥  
> (PS: I love the headcanon that Ma Pines is called Cassandra ♥)

“And what do you think you’re doing?”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at her small boy who grinned back at her sheepishly, feet shuffling together and arms behind his back. She put her hands on her hips as he took a few steps away from her window seat as if trying to absolve blame even though his brother was nowhere to be seen.

“I- uhh… your phone rang, Ma! I didn’t want you to miss out on a call.” Stan instantly slipped into the excuse, eyes hopeful that she would be persuaded.

As always, she was impressed by the lessons he was picking up from her.

Not that she was going to tell him that, of course. Couldn’t be seen to condone this kind of thing. “Right, so how come the phones on the hook and I didn’t hear you calling for me?”

“Well, the guy sounded frantic? Like he might hang up ‘cause he was in a rush?” Little Stan looked at his feet, hands coming before him to twiddle them anxiously. “So I might have told him I had your gift too?”

“Oh, do you now?”

Stan looked up at her, distraught and guilty. Out of the two of her boys he always was the more believing in her ‘gifts’ so pretending to have them fell short of mocking her in his eyes. His face shifted halfway through though. “No! I mean…I hope so?”

Cassandra tried not to curse or let her face shift at that.

Tricking punters was one thing, tricking her impressionable free spirit was quite another.

Why did he have to look so cute and optimistic? Breaking his heart seemed even worse than lying to him.

“Maybe when you’re older. I told you it doesn’t start to appear until you’re a teenager, remember?” Cassandra ruffled his hair, earning a squawk as he pushed her hand away. She ignored the gesture, instead wrapping him up in her arms cheekily even as he complained. “Well? What did you tell him then, my littlest psychic?”

Stan huffed, a small pout forming as he realised he couldn’t escape her clutches. She gave him a kiss to the forehead with a cheerful grin, amused by his whines that he just wanted to go and play. “He just had a lot of job interviews this week! So I told him today’s could be missed and the one on Thursday would be a walk in the park for him.”

Cassandra winced above his head. That was quite a big decision for a first time call for her little one, normally she tried to be vague with those kind of calls. “And why would you say that to him, sweetheart?”

“Well, he sounded like he could use some sleep and I know how I get at school when I haven’t slept enough! Even Ford gets slower!” Stan looked up at her, making her move her head which had been resting on the top of his. His eyebrows were raised in disbelief at her, as if his sentence answered everything. “If even Ford can’t answer one of those math questions he finds so easy then this guy wouldn’t stand a chance today!”

“Alright, straightforward. And the other part?”

“Well, he was getting panicky like Sixer does before an exam and telling him the obvious that he knows the answers always calms him down?” Stan shrugged, looking down again. “Plus Pa says ‘confidence is key’! So I just chose one of the interviews out of the five he had this week and said that one would be easy.”

Cassandra was impressed, her heart warming slightly at him explanation. But it didn’t change the fact that this was someone’s life. There were many times she’d sneak a few more questions in, see what the customer wanted to hear or make them make the decision on their own in the end.

Some readings were easy, some weren’t and there was a lot that could be at stake with meddling.

She sighed, pulling back from her boy.

“And what have we said about lying, Stanley?”

“…Only when you’re sure you won’t get caught?”

“Lord give me strength- No! You know that’s not what I meant.” She tickled him, grinning as he squeaked and pushed her hands away, apologising all the while. She finally stopped, watching him stumble away, still smiling. “Good. Now, off with ya! Before I change my mind.”

* * *

Cassandra slipped into the kitchen, watching her two boys sat at the table, both scribbling away. If she was far more gullible she might even believe they were doing their homework but her boys were chalk and cheese and she knew without asking that one had completed everything for the rest of the week and the other, as much as his brother would try to chide him otherwise, had already given up and was doodling away on whatever homework he was meant to be finishing.

Not that she really minded, her free spirit had other strengths.

“Stanley?”

She watched in mild amusement as he slunk down in his seat, turning the piece of paper he was colouring in over and quickly pretending to mull over whatever question he should have been looking at. “Yeah, Ma? I’m trying to my homework.”

Ford snorted next to him, getting a scowl for his efforts as he hid back behind his book.

“Yeah, Stan, when was the last time I actually fell for that one?” She leaned against the doorway, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

Stan groaned, leaning his head back as far as it would go. “It’s so _boring_ though! I can’t focus on this stuff! It’s not like it’ll be useful for sailing off on adventures, right Sixer?”

Ford scrunched up his face, halfway between humouring his brother and exasperation at his antics. Cassandra bit her lip to stop from laughing, the expression far too old for his small chubby face. “Well…”

“Sixer, you’re meant to have my back!” Stan looked at his brother like he’d betrayed him, his hand theatrically over his heart.

Cassandra coughed before Ford could argue, both boys snapping to attention as they remembered she came in for a reason. “Stanley, there’s someone on the phone for you.”

Stan’s eyebrows furrowed, instantly perplexed as he slipped off his seat. “For me? Who’d ring me?”

Cassandra beamed at him, ruffling his hair as he came close. “Well, I think it’s the young man you helped when you pretended to be me, sweetie.”

“Pretended to be you? How did Stan pretend to be you?”

She chuckled, glancing over at Ford. “He took over my phone line for a bit and managed to help a guy get a job.” She felt Stan freeze beneath her hand, head moving ever so slowly upwards to stare at her with wide eyes once the shock sunk in. She smiled down at him. “Maybe you have got the sight a bit early and you didn’t even know! Now then- that guys waiting for you to give him some more of your visions so don’t keep him waiting!”

“Yes, Ma!” Stan yelled, running with a loud pitter patter out of the room.

She waited until he was gone before turning to Ford who seemed dumbfounded by the entire scenario. “What is it, hun? Want to have a go too? See if you have the sight?”

Ford scrunched his nose up, leaning his book back up to hide his face. “Stan’s just watched you a lot, he’s not psychic. Lucky break.”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at the tone, wondering exactly what it meant. “Oh?” She walked forward, pushing the book down again, though he refused to look up at her. “And I suppose I have a lot of lucky breaks too?”

Ford’s eyes snapped up. “Of course not!”

She could hear the doubt behind the words though.

“So that’s a ‘no’ still to you having a go?”

Ford nodded, grimacing. “No thanks, Ma.”

She nodded back, sitting next to him instead. “Well, what ya reading that’s so much more engrossing?” She picked up the book, taking a few minutes to absorb the page.

“Uhm- just some things- you don’t have to-”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at him again, eyes sparkling gleefully. “Honey, you think a psychic hasn’t met one or two of these in her time?”

Ford blinked at her before his eyes went wide as dinner plates. “You’ve seen-” His voice strangled as he turned towards her, cracking at the sheer prospect.

She nodded solemnly, flicking through the book. “Of course! Fae like to hear the future.” She leaned in closer to him, conspiratorially, happy when he shuffled nearer in response. “It fascinates them, one of the only things they can’t do, plus the different items – tarot cards, palm readings amuse them greatly. They think it’s all parlour tricks and yet they come back again and again.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’ve had a ghost once or twice as well, wanting to know how their family would do without them.” She tried not to smile as he gasped, curiosity well and truly piqued, a newfound belief blossoming under all the scepticism.

“This is incredi- wait, you said they come back…do the fae come _here_?” Ford’s voice came out in a whisper, awe echoing through every word.

Before she could reply Stan came bounding back in, grin splitting his face from ear to ear.

“Ma! He was so happy! He even asked me more questions.”

“That’s brilliant, you think you’ve got a regular client?”

Stan shook his head. “Nah, I told him he should trust you. He made a weird noise at that and I scolded him for it.” He huffed loudly, crossing his arms for a second before tilting his head at the pair of them, indignation at the man instantly forgotten. “What are you two doing?”

“Stan! You won’t believe it! Some of Ma’s clients are supernatural!” Ford turned to Stan, pointing out some of the pictures in his book.

Stan shuffled closer, staring at a picture with a doubtful expression. He ran a finger over the small figure, the butterfly wings and flittering bodies. “Really? These weird little things are real?”

“They don’t actually look like that.” Cassandra sniffed, trying her hardest to seem all knowing. Luckily lying came easily. “They might hide like that every so often. They’re tricksters by nature. They find it funny to make humans believe they look like that.”

“What do they actually look like then?”

“Well just like us, how do you think they hide in plain sight? You’d never know they were there in a busy street unless you were actively looking for one but even then they’d vanish in a blink of an eye if they knew they’d been caught.” She could feel them hanging on every word, finally deigning to look down at them. “But…it’s a lot easier to spot them if you have the gift.” She tapped the side of her head, smiling at them. “Don’t worry though, I’m sure I’ll make some seers of you both yet.” She ruffled both their heads, getting twin whines for her actions.

“Ma! You never finished- do they come here often?”

“Of course, who do you think hides your socks and ties your shoelaces in knots? I told you, they’re tricksters.”

“But, how often- can you let us know when they’re here next-”

A floorboard creaked above them, all three heads snapping up at the noise.

Cassandra inwardly cheered at the happy coincidence, giving the twins a coy smile. “What do you think?”

“You mean-?” Stan and Ford glanced at one another, both slack joyed and brimming with excitement.

“Why don’t you go find out?”

Cassandra chuckled as her boys vanished in a blink of an eye. She could hear them thundering up the stairs, shouting and crowing to one another as they searched the upper floor. She’d have to come up with a good story after, how the creature had made the noise to get them away so that it could have its card reading. She slipped her cards out of her pocket, shuffling them and placing a few before her, setting the scene with an amused smirk.

She knew she shouldn’t. She knew she should let them know it was all a ruse.

But there was something about that little spark in their eyes that made her feel that her little white lies were worth it.

She hummed to herself, a story forming as the cards fell before her, knowing exactly how to spin her tale to wrap them around her little finger.

She’d just have to make sure that they didn’t tell their father.

Couldn’t have him scolding her for filling their heads with nonsense.

Not when it made them so happy.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Stan picked up terms of endearment from his mother and you can’t convince me otherwise right at this moment (her free spirit and all!)  
> …OK I just had fun having baby Stan and Ford get called sweetie and honey.


End file.
